LOWELL'S HOUSE

A summary of views, commentary and sometimes comedy.

On Thursday, the Harvard community was treated to a visit by former Connecticut Governor Lowell P. Weicker Jr. In case you don't remember--and unless you're from New England, perhaps you never knew--Weicker was the governor who took the Eden of Connecticut, one of a handful of states without an income tax, and made it just like any other state out here--Paradise Lost.

Having done his damage in Connecticut, Weicker may now be turning his attention to the national political scene. In his remarks at the Kennedy School, Weicker was generous enough to offer the audience an assessment of his own potential as a presidential candidate.

"There is no doubt about the fact that I'm the right man for the job," Weicker said.

The independent presidential possibilities whose names provoke excited speculation and furious whispers include notables such as General Colin L. Powell and Senator Bill Bradley. But Lowell Weicker? Wasn't he that really dumb guy on "Wings?"

We at Dartboard wonder: was Weicker being sarcastic in describing himself as "the right man for the job"? If so, we commend him on his sense of humor.

Unfortunately, it seems that he was actually serious, because he followed this statement up with an earnest disclaimer: "I'm not the right man at the right time."

Wow. And did we mention that he's humble, too?

When it comes to self-promoting politicians who list "raising taxes" as a leisure-time activity, the American political scene has more than enough. We certainly don't need one as president. We wish Weicker a retirement as pleasant and uneventful as a Preparation-H television commercial.